Ice bunker for refrigerator cars



Nov. 4, 1930. A. F. o'coNNoR- ICE BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1928 Nov., 4, 1930. A. F. o'coNNoR ICE BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 4 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Sept. 20, 1928 lllllllllgfll I||| |1411 Ncv. 4, 1930- v A. F. o'coNNoR ICE BNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed sept. 2o. 1928 4 sheets-Sheet .s

, Nom 4, w30., A. F. CNNOR l 3,7335

ICE BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed sept. 20 19,28v 4 sheets-shea 4 llllll//Illf estema uw. 4, 193e f narran srarssj y Para ARTHUR Il". (ICOfbTIl'OR,l OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO 'UNION RAILWAY EQUIP- n MNT CONTAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS ron nnrmennaron sans Application filed September 20, 192e. Serial No. 307,114.

This invention relates to ice bunkers for refrigerator cars'.

In refrigerator cars as at present constructed it is the customary practice to proe vide at'each end of the car a bunker for the reception of ice which is discharged into the bunker throu h a hatch door in the roof of the car imme iatelyl above the bunker.

The bunker is constructed to provide a Ii@ bulkhead which separates it from thestorage space within the car, and it is customary to so arrange the bulkhead that itwill adord openings above and below the bulkhead for the circulation of air toward and from the center of th car Where perishable commodities are store The present invention isi directed not onlyto the construction of the bunker as a whole, but particularly to the construction of the bulkhead, the Wall of which is formed of corrugated metal, which adords the necessary strength and rigidity and is free from the objections in cost of upkeep, andso forth, which have attended the use of wooden bulkheads for a like purpose.

The present' construction is designed to permit the bulkheads to be manufactured at the factory and installed Without diiiculty into the interior or the car, and the invention relates to the general construction et the bulkhead, as Well as to the various means employed for connecting the various constituent portions thereof and securing the same to the body of the (car.

Further objects and details will appear Jfrom the description of the invention, in conjunction `with the accompanying drawings, Wherein-u i Figure 1 is a cross section through the in-A also showing the bulkhead with the insulating facing in position thereon.

Figure 1 is a sectional detail showing the construction of the bunker door to aford'a grating for the deposit of ice; v

Figure 5 is a sectional detail, showing the method of supporting one of the ends of the bunker floor, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Figure 6 is a sectional detail, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional detail, showing the method of supporting the bunker Hoor at the center, taken on line 7 7 of 4Figure 3;

` and,

Figure 8 is a sectional detail of .the same, taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The drawings represent the end portion of a refrigerator car'constructed in accordance Withthe customary practice, to provide an outer end Wall 10,'an inner end Wall or sheathing 11, an outer side Wall 12, an inner side Wall or sheathing 13, a ceiling 14 'and a floor 15. The door supports an inner flooring 16 of slatted formation, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3.

The bunker at each end is separated from the storage space Within the car y a bulkhead 17, the Wall of which is of sheet metal provided with 'a series of outwardly bulging spaced ribs or corrugations 18 extending horizontal ly in parallel relation to one anoher andterminating in reduced end portions 19 ,which merge into the plane dat body of the plate composing the -Wall, so that the side margins,- as Well as the' margins at top and bottom, will lie dat and within the general plane of the bulkhead.

The side ed' es of the metal Wall' are outl werdt' turn'e p to provide verticali f entending erige flanges 25-25 which, as s ovvn, are each securedfloyg bolts to the outer dange 26 'of a Z-bar 27, which Z-bars on each side are secured to the inner side Walls oi thecar. The upper edge ci the metal Wall is provided with inturned dange 22 extending at right angles to the main plane of the Wall to strengthen the same.

Secured to the rear oi the metal Wall is a plurality of spaced vertical Wooden bars 20,y said bars being secured to the metal Wall by 'culating passages between the mesh wall, and

corrugated wall of the bulkhead, these passages discharging into the bottom of the car. The front face of the bulkhead is provided by an insulating wall or facing 240, made up of l'aminations of wood with insulating material 241 disposed therebetween. The facing 240 is secured to the metal wall of .the bulkhead by means of rows of bolts 242, preferably extending through said wall at the peaks or crests of the corrugations'. Although the facing 240 is adequately supported by the metal wall of the bulkhead, when fastened in the manner indicated, due to the fact that the side edges of the facing are slightly spaced from the inclined ends-of the corrugations, I preferably provide filler members 243, which may be fitted within the spaces provided by the Z-bars 27 and bolts 244 extended through the ed es of the facing, the filler blocks and the Z- ars, thereby providing an adequately braced bulkhead construction of great strength.

The floor or ice grate of the bunkeris 'afforded by a plurality of metallic slats 28 which extend transversely of the'bunkerthat is, longitudinally of the car, and each metallic slat is of inverted U-shaped formation terminating at each edge in an 'attaching flange 29, as best shown in Figure 4. The edges of the attaching flanges lie inspa-ced relation to one another to afford slots or openings 30 between the adjacent slats and below the ice chamber.

The forward. 'and rear edges of the metallic slats rest upon and are supported by angle bars 31 and 32 respectively, while the slats are supported intermediately by the provision of la bridge strap 33 to which the flanges 29 are secured by rivets 34 (see Figure 4). The slatted bunker floor, as a Whole, is supported in elevated relation above the floor of the carA pending foot 36 which extends downwardly to a cross beam 37 to which it is secured by means of an angle clip 38.

The rear end of the bridge 35 embraces 'and is supported upon a shelf 39 outwardly extending from a bracket 40 secured to the end wall of the car, and the bridge is held against displacement by the provision of a dowel pin l41, which extends through the shelf 39, the

bridge 35, and the flange of the angle bar 32 upon which the rear ends of the slats 'are supportedand to which they are riveted, as best indicated in Fig. 8. The dowel pin 41 is provided with a slot 42 which receives a wedgeshaped locking pin 43 which serves to lock the parts together.

The method of supporting the angle bars 31 and 32 is best illustrated 1n Figs. 5 and 6, from which it will be seen that each of the side Walls 13 of the car has secured thereto an an gle bar 44, the horizontal flange 45 of which supports a plate 46, upon which rests the ends of the angle bars 31 and 32 which support the slats. The plate 46 is riveted to the bars 31 yand 32, and constitutes an endreinforcement for the slatted metallic floor of the bunker, and each of the plates 46 is secured in 1place by dowel pins 47 and locking wedges 48 like those heretofore described.l

The end walls of 'the bunker' are afforded by mesh screening 49, and the rear wall by a screening 50, which screen walls are se- Icured' to studdings 51--51 standing vertically from the. inner side and end walls of the car adjacent to thatportion thereof which affords the bunker space.

-The Z-bars 27 extend upwardly above the bulkhead and afford flanges for the securement of the ends of a mesh screening 52 which serves to screen off the'space above the bulkhead.

The arrangement above described is one which provides for a bunker structure which is all metallic with the exception of the Wooden bars or slats constituting a portion of the bulkhead, and thereby eliminates the objectionsV which have been heretofore noted with respect to the use of wood in the construction of ice bunkers;

The method of constructing the bulkhead I The structure of the slatted grate a ords` adequate provision for reinforcement at the ends and sides of the floor structure, which thus becomes a.selfcontained unit, and the slats themselves, being corrugated, may be formed of relatively thin gauge metal to afford sufficient strength and rigidity to prevlent distortion or indentation of the metal s ats.

By constructing the bulkhead and floor in the manner indicated, and by providing-the supporting brackets and other special means required for attachment, the bunker as a whole can be readily constructed at the factory and assembled in the car by the securement of the attaching means provided.

Although the invention has been described with particularity, it is not the intention to `limit the same except as indicated in the claims, since modiication thereof can be made without departing from the spirit of t-he invention.

1. In a structure of the class described, a metallic bulkhead including a corru ated. body portion and marginal plane sur aces, certain edge extremities of the latter being rovided with flanges extending substantialy at right angles to the main plane of the bulkhead in one direction and another edge extremity being provided with a lange extending 1n the opposite direction. v 2. In a structure of the class described, a bulkhead including a corrugated metallic wall, a wall of foraminous material, means for spacing said walls; and means connecting said foraminous material and spacing means to said metallic wall whereby the latter supports the former.

3. In a structure of the class described, a bulkhead including a corrugated metallic Wall',l` an inner wall of foraminous material, and spacing meansinterposed between the said walls, said Walls and spacing means being secured together to provide a vunitary structure with air circulation space between said walls.

4. In a structure of the class described, a

-vbulkhead including a corrugatedl metallic vwall provided with angularly turned edge flanges; and angular members secured to said flanges and providing means by which the bulkhead may be secured in position.

5. In a structure of the class described, a bulkhead including a corru ated metallic wall, an inner foraminous wa l spaced from one side of said metallic wall and secured thereto and a wall of insulating material Vsel cured' to the opposite side of said metallic wall, said bulkhead providing air circulating space between said metallic wall and said foraminous wall. A

6. In a refrigerator car, the combination with the side and end walls thereof of a bulkhead including a corrugated metallic wall secured to the side walls of the car and defining with said side and end walls an ice bunker, said metallic wall bein secured to said side walls; an inner wall o foraminous material another, each slat having a central corrugation and laterally extending flanges, metallic bars to`which the ends of said danges are secured, and connecting bars to which the slat supporting bars are connected.

8. In a structure of the class described, a

slatted door comprising a plurality of 'elongated metal slats of inverted U-shaped formation, in spaced relation to one another, and

provided with laterally extending, iianges,

metallic bars to whichthe ends of said flanges are secured, and connecting bars to which the slat supporting bars are connected.

9. In a structure of the class described, a

slatted Hoor comprising a plurality of corrugated metal slats in spaced relation to one another, metallic bars to vwhich the ends of the slats are securediconnecting bars to which the slat supporting ars are connected, means for supporting the connecting bars, a-brid e bar terminating at its outer end in a depen ing foot and positioned to a'ord a medial support for the slat supporting bars, and a bracket for su ortin the o osite end-of the bridge bar.pp g Pp 10. In a structure a slatted floor comprising a plurality of corrugatedmetal slats of inverted U-shaped formation, in spaced relation to one another,

metallicbars to which the ends of the slats Y v11. Iny combination with a car body, an ice of the class described,l e5j orting bars are connected, means for supbunker having a floor comprisedv of metallic slats of corrugated formation andin spaced relation to one another, means -for connecting the ends of the slats, means for su porting the slatted floor in elevated relation to the car floor, a bulkhead extending across the body of the car and in spaced relation to the top and bottom of the car, to provide for air circulation, said bulkhead comprising a me tallic wall having 'A horizontally extending corrugations; and an inner foraminous Wall supportedfrom said metallic wall in-spaced relation with reference thereto to provide for air circulation between said walls.

' 12. In combination with a car body, an ice bunker having a floor comprised of metallic slats of corrugated formatlon'` and inl spaced relation to one another, means for connecting the ends of the slats, means for supporting the slatted floor in elevated relation to the car floor, said means including an intermediately disposed bridge bar having its outer end downturned to provide a supporting foot, a bulkhead extending across the body of the car and in spaced relation to the top and bottom of the car to provide for'air circulation, said bulkhead comprising a metallic wall having horizontally extending 'corrugations, and

an inner foraminous wall supported from said v corrugated wall to provide for air circulation between said Walls.

13. In combination with a car body, an ice bunker having a door comprised of metallic lll) slats of corrugated formation and in spaced relation to one another, means for connecting the ends of the slats, means for supporting the slatted floor in elevated relation to the car floor, a bulkhead extending across the body of the car and in spaced relation to the top and bottom of the car to provide for air circulation, said bulkhead comprising a metallic Wall having horizontally extending cor rugations, and an inner foraminous metallic Wall secured to said corrugated Wall in spaced relation With respect thereto, the upper end of said corrugated Wall being provided -v'vith an int-urned flange to strengthen the same, and the edges-of said corrugated side opposite to that to which said foraminous Wall is connected.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of September, 1928.

ARTHUR F. OCONNOR.

Wall being outwardly flanged to provide y means by which it is secured in position` 14. In combination with a car body, an ice bunker having a floor comprised of metallic slats of corrugated formation and in spaced relation to one another, means for connecting the ends of the slats, means for support: ing the slatted floor in elevated relation to the car floor, said means including an interf mediately disposed bridge bar having its outer end downturned to provide a supporting foot, a bulkhead extending across the body of the car and in spaced relation to the top and bottom of the car to provide for air circulation, said bulkhead comprising a metal lic Wall having horizontally extending corrugations, vertically disposed Wooden bars supported from said corrugated Wall and an inner foraminous metallic Wall secured to the Wooden bars and defining air circulation space between said Walls. l

l5. Inl a structure of the character deear having side, end and bottom Walls; of a bulkhead cooperating With said Walls at one end of the car to define anice bunker, said lcar having side, end, top and bottom Walls;

of a bulkhead'cooperating with said Wallsat one end of the car to define an ice bunker,

` said bulkhead including a corrugated metallic body portion supported by the wall of said car so as'to be arranged With its top and scribed, the combination with a refrigerator bottom ledges spaced from the ceiling and oor of 'the carto provide for air circulation; a Wall of foraminous material supported by said body portion in spaced relation with reference thereto; and a Wall of insulating material secured to said body portion at the 

